SA Department of Premier and Cabinet advertising for three new highly-paid strategy and policy executives

The SA government’s top Department of Premier and Cabinet is splurging on three new highly-paid executive positions – see the details here.

Chief executive Nick Reade’s hiring spree at the Department of Premier and Cabinet continues with three highly paid executives with expertise in “experimental” approaches to policy and “horizon scanning” sought to join the agency.

Mr Reade has already revived the deputy chief executive role and installed a new executive director of strategic communications – his former BankSA offsider Jayne Flaherty – and with the current hires the wage bill for the new executives is likely to soar well past $1m.

The three new roles being advertised at the moment will all be paid up to $257,291, while at the lower end the new directors could be paid $167,239.

The Advertiser reported in June that Mr Reade, who started in the $637,271 per year role in February, had sent an internal email to department staff flagging the creation of a new “Strategy and Policy” division, requiring three new executive positions.

The division will include a new “Technology Strategy and Policy” team, which will oversee the government’s technology initiatives.

Mr Reade also announced the revival of the deputy chief executive role, with Dr Jon Gorvett starting in that role on July 27.

Chief executive of the Department of Premier and Cabinet, Nick Reade.

The three new policy positions are now being advertised, with the new Policy Lab director to be asked to “successfully introduce and implement an agile and experimental approach to whole-of government policy’’.

“The successful incumbent will be responsible for the delivery of the Policy Lab’s work program including project prioritisation, project delivery, development of next practice and whole-of government network in accordance with the government’s policy priorities,’’ the job description says.

“The director, policy lab will also be expected to demonstrate experience in experimenting, innovating, evaluating and formulating new policy approaches in partnership with others.’’

The director, strategic foresight, will “lead conceptual design, strategic planning and implementation of the South Australian Government’s foresight function’’.

“In addition to longer-term design and planning to help develop the foresight function, the successful incumbent will be responsible for technical activity, management of trends analysis and research supporting policy development efforts for priority issues.

“The director, strategic foresight will also be responsible for trends analysis, foresight workshop facilitation and scenario development.’’

The director, economic strategy, “will be responsible for whole-of government economic modelling (both macro and agent-based) and lead a team focused on economic strategy and policy and business case analysis with the aim of maximising economic development opportunities for South Australia’’.

Each director would be employed under a contract for “up to three years’’.

Opposition spokesman Stephen Mullighan said the government should be hiring more nurses, doctors and ambulance officers, rather than highly-paid bureaucrats.

“This just shows Steven Marshall and his government have the wrong priorities,’’ he said.

The government is also looking to hire a deputy chief executive for the Department for Correctional Services and a director for the Office for Public Integrity.

A spokesman for the Department of the Premier and Cabinet said the Strategy and Policy team was responsible for driving “comprehensive economic, population and technology strategy and policy”.